Farmers Movement Archive

SAD took Covid refuge to escape voting on farm ordinance resolution: Capt

Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLAs took refuge in the pandemic to keep away from the one-day Vidhan Sabha session as they did not want to be party to the resolution rejecting the Centre’s anti-farmer ordinances. In a press release, the CM dismissed the Akalis’ charge of running away from burning issues on the pretext of Covid-19. “Having supported the ordinances being part of the NDA government, the Akalis could not afford to vote for the resolution and yet did not want to appear to be anti-farmer. Under the circumstances, they found an easy way out in the guise of the pandemic to stay out of the Vidhan Sabha completely,” said Amarinder.“The speaker and I had appealed to the MLAs having come in contact with any of their infected colleagues not to attend the session. But not a single Akali member turned up for the session. It is clearly the Akalis who are running away. At no point were opposition MLAs asked not to attend the session. The appeal was for all members, including those of the ruling party,” said Amarinder. “In case, if the Akalis are so concerned about the spreading of Covid and heeded the advice to stay away from the House on this ground, then why are they continuing with their street protests despite my repeated pleas to all political parties not to indulge in such activities which endanger the lives of people,” the CM asked. Amarinder also rejected the SAD’s demand for another Vidhan Sabha session next month when the state’s Covid figures are projected to peak. He pointed out that despite several of its own ministers and MLAs testing positive, his government decided to go ahead with the one-day session to meet the constitutional requirement as was being done by other states. Amarinder cited the example of neighbouring Haryana, which had cut short its original 3-day assembly session to one day amidst the pandemic after several of their MLAs tested positive.

Hindustan Times

30-08-2020

Chandigarh